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Istifanus Gbana,
the chairman of the Conference of Speakers, was caught in a web of
anxiety last Thursday afternoon. He stood behind the Senate President,
his head bent as he whispered, loud enough for the deputies of both
chambers to hear.

Mr Gbana and his
colleagues had agreed to collate their resolutions and turn in a single
document which represents their collective stance, but as at that
afternoon, some states were yet to turn in their resolutions. He tried
to explain but the national lawmakers could not understand. They moved
into a secret meeting, away from the hall filled with politicians and
lawmakers waiting to hear the final provisions of the new constitution.

State of confusion

Twelve minutes later, they emerged from the secret meeting.

“We regret keeping
you here for quite some time. We deeply apologise for that… Today, we
are not in a position to submit the document yet,” Mr Gbana said, after
it became clear that the states were not ready with the new
constitution because some states have not agreed on some provisions of
the draft.

At the constitution
amendment secretariat, 25 states have turned in their resolutions but
Mr Gbana could not hand them in because some Speakers were still at
loggerheads with their state governors over provisions in the
constitution that threaten the governors’ absolute control of the
states.

“Some governors do not want autonomy for State Assemblies,” a source said.

The new
constitution proposes that both the National Assembly and State Houses
of Assembly be put on first line charge of the federal and state
governments respectively. That way, the legislature becomes financially
autonomous of the executive arm.

However, the
returned resolution in the National Assembly, from the 25 states who
have already returned their copies, indicate that the provision has
scaled the two-third states vote for the federal legislature, but has
not for the state legislature.

Sources at the
National Assembly say the state Speakers who are yet to turn in their
resolutions on the amended constitution are still battling with their
governors over their sovereignty, but the governors are keen on working
against it.

Eighteen out of the
25 states that have submitted their resolutions to the National
Assembly voted in favour. Six more favourable votes from the states are
required to make the state legislatures constitutionally independent of
their state’s executives.

Electoral reform under threat

Indications from
the amendments received so far by the National Assembly also show that
the states have dropped the independent candidacy clause.

The introduction of
the clause to the constitution followed the recommendations of the
Electoral Reform Committee, which was set up by the late Umaru Yar’Adua
and led by Justice Mohammad Uwais.

The independent
candidate clause in the constitution stipulates that aspirants for
political offices – including offices of the governors and president –
need not be members of any political party, as is currently the case.
Although the provision enjoyed great support from the federal
lawmakers, the State Assemblies have outrightly rejected it, “another
attribute of the governors’ influence,” Mike Ikorue, a political
analyst said.

An official who
closely monitored the progress of the constitution review at the states
said that some governors practically influenced the votes of the state
lawmakers on the independent candidacy clause.

“Most of the
governors feel threatened by the clause,” the source said. “Some state
governors told their legislators that approving independent candidacy
would jeopardise their personal future as political leaders in the
state. Some even threatened to withhold their benefits.”

The last option

Besides the
independent candidacy, the clause amending the educational
qualification of political office aspirants was dropped, leaving it as
it currently stands.

The national
lawmakers had elevated the benchmark educational qualification for
political office aspirants from the current school leaving Secondary
School Certificate Examination to Ordinary National Diploma (OND), or
at least experience as a federal lawmaker. The governors and state
lawmakers were said to be jointly against the rise in educational
standard for aspirants and, therefore, struck it out.

Outside the
independent candidacy clause and another clause relating to educational
standard, which were rejected completely, and the State Assemblies’
autonomy which is still under contention, the rest of the amendments
made to the 1999 constitution have got the required votes to stand
amended.

“Other states that
have not been able to pass their resolutions are given one week to do
it. If any state comes up with no reason for not complying, we will
have no option than to proceed with the ones we have,” Mr Gbana said at
the end of his apology.